While it was the sinister administration of men like G.W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and the rest of that gang that got us into the mess in Iraq, we continue to make mistakes. The war in Iraq was illegal and never should have happened. But our mishandling of things after we invaded Iraq continue to this day. There is no easy solution, but the bumbling in Washington, out of ignorance, continues.

Yes, we have a certain obligation in Iraq. We lost thousands of American lives, we spent trillions of dollars there, and things look as though they are not getting better, they are getting worse. As many Americans, my heart bleeds for the American men and women who were killed or maimed in the war in Iraq. That illegal war will stay to haunt us for years to come. What to do?

I could paint several scenarios that might help the situation. But first we must get the current Shia leaders in Iraq to wake up and stop their stupid, selfish actions. They are trying in every way possible to get vengeance for years of the Sunni dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. While the Sunnis are a minority in Iraq, they are a very large minority. They are clearly aware of how they have been mistreated by the current regime in Baghdad.

We wanted to bring democracy to Iraq. Look what we got. We got a Shia government elected that has ignored most of the requirements of the large minority, the Sunnis. With open elections, the Shia will win national elections. But they cannot ignore the large minority, the Sunnis.

Our European allies must join us in sitting down with the current Shia leadership in Baghdad and demand that the government allow for more freedom for the Sunnis and fairer treatment. This must be done directly, not pulling any punches. The Shia leadership must be made to understand that their nation is imploding, and Shia heads will role as Sunnis seek their revenge.

We must also sit down with the Sunnis and get them to understand that their current violent reaction is self-defeating. Currently, they think they are winning. They are not. And if Iran enters on the side of the Shia, it could be disastrous in more ways than one.

Adding to the problem are the ego-inflated Kurds who now see more independence for themselves. This has been a long standing desire of the Kurds. I believe a scenario could be worked out in which the Kurds would agree to a federated Iraq with the Kurds having autonomy in their own geographic area.

The George W. Bush administration has put Obama in a terrible situation in more ways than one. But excuses now serve nobody. Action must be taken immediately. We must convene the necessary meetings with the Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish leadership. We cannot hedge of this, and those groups must be made to understand our serious intent.